How long have you been playing Rugby for?

“I started when I was 16. So what does that make it six years. Yeah, six years.”

Do you play for a team?

“I play for sale, 1861, so we started our first proper season as a woman’s team this year.”

What made you first get into Rugby and what has made you stick at it?

“Um, I think it was just my group of friends; when we were in school we decided we’d give it a go, because we all kind of did everything, we did hockey, we did football so we thought we’d give it a go. And one of our PE teachers, used to be a rugby player and she really wanted to start a team. So I guess she was kind of the person that got me started and then it just went from there really!”

When you tell people you play Rugby, what is the usual reaction and why do you think this is?

“I think a lot of people’s perception of a rugby player, is different to what people who play rugby are actually like. They just think we’re all really big or scary [laughs]. Mostly people aren’t like the stereotype of what people think Female Rugby players are. I think most people are quite shocked on the whole, I get told a lot ‘Oh girls shouldn’t be playing rugby’ and stuff like that.”

What do you think the biggest misconception is about Women’s Rugby?

“I think the biggest misconception is probably that it’s a super aggressive sport, with really big girls, like hitting each other [laughs], but its a lot more about team work and family and it’s a really nice community to be in.”

“I think sometimes people find it hard to break away from the stereotypes that we’re ‘scary’ and ‘aggressive’ which can hinder the sports progression.”

Have you ever felt your abilities have been doubted due to being a woman?

“Definitely yeah, I think our abilities used get doubted a lot and even our status as a serious competitor. Especially a few years ago when we did a lot of events where they take boys and girls to go and speak and play at sporting events and competitions. I would constantly find that no one would think that we were a player, they’d always focus on the men and the men’s sport and assume that us women were tagging along, not as athletes.”

What would you say to any young girls thinking of getting into  Rugby?

“I would say just definitely give it a go, even if you just start, there’s so many ways into it. You can start with touch, you can start with tag rugby or anything like that. And I think, just bring your friends, that’s another thing, if you have someone that you know, it’s easier to hit them [laughs]. But I think, yeah, just give it a go, it’s much easier to start when you’re young as well.”

Yeah well thats the thing, as a girl you’re not often pushed into sports like rugby when you’re younger.

“Yeah I know, it’s always been like that!

I think though, especially in more recent years, there’s more young girls getting involved. If we look at the intake from our clubs in the last few years it’s almost doubled, just by having more girls involved. There’s a lot more televised women’s teams now, like the Six Nations, so there’s a lot more media attention out there, which I think makes a lot more people give it a go. We do get a lot of people that want to start their daughters playing now, which is really good, it’s nice to start young because you’re less scared of things. If you ask someone now to start tackling I think it can can be a bit daunting, but there’s always ways into it, so give it a go!”

What does it mean to you to be a female in this sport?

“I think it’s really important. I think it’s really easy to just sit back and not want to do anything, but I think it’s important, to highlight that Women’s Rugby is happening, and all the positive stuff that is happening around it too. So, I think it’s important to get our voices out there and to encourage more people.”